Over xxxposure

Forget Hasselbeck, ‘Big Bro’ star has a post-reality TV career gay men envy

BROKEBACK MOUNTIN’ | Steven Daigle was the gay cowboy on ‘Big Brother’ but rides a different kind of mount in his new career. (Photo courtesy C1R.com)

The headline pretty much said it all: "Big Brother housemate Steven Daigle does hardcore gay porn."

Well, maybe it doesn’t tell the whole story. But it does beg the question: Is reality TV a gateway to porn?

"You’re probably really close to being right on," agrees Daigle. "You’re on 24 hours a day and everything you do is watched. And I was very comfortable being in front of the camera naked."

Not since Elisabeth Hasselbeck has a reality contestant got tongues wagging after a show ended. Daigle seemed to get his 15 minutes of fame last year when he became quickly pigeonholed as "the gay cowboy" on season 10 of Big Brother. Although he was booted from the house after only two weeks, the North Texas native engendered a loyal following. And one of those followers was porn director ChiChi LaRue.

"She was a big fan of the show, and we met at the Big Brother wrap party," Daigle recalls. "She invited me to be a guest at Folsom Weekend where I was at this party full of porn stars. I met tons of amazing people in the industry who I became friend with, so I started attending some porn events."

Initially, Daigle didn’t seriously consider he could join their ranks.

"I thought I could never do that: I don’t have the body, I don’t have the looks. These are superhuman people who have the apparatuses to perform," he says. But he began to realize they were "just like me, only in a little better shape."

That’s when the seed was planted. Daigle hit the gym and went on a crazy diet. His body took to the conditioning, and he started getting noticed. "I joked that I was hooking up with them anyway, why not be paid for it?" he says.

The result was Steven Daigle XXXposed, his hardcore sex video shot in January and distributed by LaRue’s Channel 1 Releasing last month. It didn’t take long for the film to become a hit. TMZ and Perez Hilton picked up on it and it became a whirlwind. The movie has gotten high marks among gay porn bloggers, and Daigle has already filmed two more with LaRue and has a fourth, with Falcon Studios, on the books for later this month. He’s also been making personal appearances, mostly in California.

One of the unusual aspects of Daigle’s porn career has been that he performs under his actual name.

"I was all excited about making up my porn name, but ChiChi said. ‘Honey you’re Steven Daigle — you can’t call yourself anything else.’ Of course, when you’re just a face and a name you can always take back your original name and disappear. But for the rest of my life you can’t escape me. Everytime you Google Steven Daigle, porn will pop up."

Which may have its downsides. He received an anonymous e-mail from one family member who "say the usual gay-bashing stuff — calling me a faggot and saying I’m going to hell — but the part that hurt was when he said I was embarrassing the name Daigle." He’s also had a falling out with his sister, dating back to some photos of him in leather gear that led her to unfriend him on Facebook. But aside from that, he says, his friends, family and the community in general has been supportive.

"They say as long as I’m happy and making a living and not hurting anybody, go for it," he says. "I’m not embarrassed and extremely happy where I am in my life now."

But aside from the haters, is there a negative? Sort of, he admits.

The sex part of [making a movie] is very deconstructed. It’s not the hot, sexy enticing scenes you see — it’s not enjoyable sex. It kind of ruins watching porn for me," he says. He pauses, then adds, "Of course, that’s just for me. You should definitely watch the video."